More and more Midlanders are quitting their jobs fed up with poor pay and lack of job satisfaction, it was claimed yesterday.

Resignation rates in the Midlands are amongst the highest in the UK, for the year to January.

A survey of 22,480 individuals shows that despite an increase in earnings, executives in the Midlands have become frustrated by company pay structures and a lack of job satisfaction.

The 2006 National Management Salary Survey, published by the Chartered Management Institute and Remuneration Economics, reveals a labour turnover rate of 10.4 per cent.

Resignations stand at 4.1 per cent. The desire to change jobs comes despite employers in the Midlands offering an average increase in earnings of 6.6 per cent - the highest annual increase in the region since 2002.

The findings reveal that the average total earnings for managers in the Midlands are £44,616, putting them fifth in this year's 'earnings league table'. Managers in the North West, on £41,329, are bottom of the list.

Jo Causon, director, marketing and corporate affairs at the Chartered Management Institute, said: "The increase in resignations is a matter for concern, especially as organisations continue to identify skills gaps in specialist areas.

"Of course, a certain amount of labour turnover can be a good thing, but if the current trend is allowed to continue it could breed dangerous levels of uncertainty and impact on the strategic development of UK organisations."

In an attempt to redress the trend in resignations, the survey finds that more and more organisations are now offering a range of benefits to staff. These now include private medical cover (72 per cent), childcare vouchers (67 per cent) and life assurance (63 per cent).

Almost all offer some form of pension provision (99 per cent), but the number offering contributory final salary schemes has dropped from 34 to 28 per cent.